Coal-chute



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DANIEL II. HENKELS, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL-CHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,970, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed August 14, 1889, Serial No. 320,663. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL H. HENKELS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Coal Chutes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a coal-chute especially adapted for use in transferring coal from cars to vessels, or to cars at a lower level.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved coalchute, and Fig. 2 is a face view showing sufficient of the trestle to illustrate my invention. Fig. 3 is a detailed View showing the gearing.

In loading vessels from cars it is customary to construct trestle-work on the piers, and on this trestle-work the cars to be unloaded are run. At suitable intervals along the trestlework are placed a series of chutes, and when the vessel is to be loaded the chute is directed to a point above the hold, the contents of the car on the trestle being dumped into the hopper of the chute and allowed to fall into the vessel. It frequently occurs, however, that vessels to be loaded have different depths of hold, or vessels are loaded at different tides; consequently a chute suitable for loading one vessel would not beadapted for loading a vessel having a different depth of hold, or a chute placed in position for loading a vessel at high tide would not be in properposition for loading a vessel at low tide, as the coal in the lat ter case would be broken by the fall to such a degree as to necessitate the rescreening of the same. I overcome these objections to a stationary chute, or a chute having its inner end pivoted, by so forming the same that-it can be readily adapted for loading vessels at different heights.

Referring to the drawings, A is a pier; B, the trestle-work, on which are the tracks a a, and Dis the inclined chute, constructed in the usual manner, having in the bottom a screen cl, and containing also a valve or gate d. by standards E E, and in grooves in these standards slides a hopper F, supported by cords, ropes, or chains 1) b, which pass around drums c c on a shaft 0, said drums being The outer end of the chute is supported.

oted at f to the hopper F is a second chute G,

which can be raised and lowered by the cord 9, which is connected to a yoke g, pivoted to the outer end of the trough. This rope passes over a pulley h on the cross-bar E and around a drum 1', which is turn ed by a crank t" through the medium of a pinion t and wheel i .a suitable pawl preventing the unwinding of the drum.

The hopper F is counterbalanced in the present instance by weights J J, connected to the upper portion of the hopper by cords or chains jj, passing over wheels j.

The hopper F always contains a certain amount of coal, as shown in Fig. 1, except when the chute G is lowered to such a posithat the hopper will be cleared by the gravitation of the coal.

If a vessel is to be loaded at high tide, the hopper F is raised sufficiently to allow the coal to flow over the chute G by gravity, the car containing the coal being then shifted to a position directly over the chute D, itsvalve d raised, and the coal from the car falls into the chute D. As the material in the hopper F flows therefrom, the coal in the chute takes its place, and a constant stream is thus maintained.

here a vessel low in the water is to be 1oadedas, for instance, a canal-boatthe hopper F is lowered to coincide with the height of the vessel and the coal discharged as above.

It will thus be seen that instead of the usual breakage of the coal in its passage from the car on the trestle-work to a vessel low in the water, or at low tide, the coal is deposited in said vessel with little or no disintegration, the trough G being raised or lowered to suit the height of the vessel being loaded.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the i'eceivingti'ough, a discharge-trough, with a hopper between the two, said hopper being open on that side next to the receiving-trough and movable vertically past the discharge end of said trough, substantially as and for the purpose described. 2. The combination of the receiving-trough,

to the base of the hopper, with cords and a Winding-drum for raising and lowering the outer end of said hopper, substantially as and 15 a sliding hopper open on that side next to said for the purpose set forth.

trough, and mechanism, substantially as described,.for raising and lowering said hopper,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subwith a delivery-trough pivoted to the lower scribing Witnesses.

end of said hopper, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the receiving-trough D, the counterbalanced hopper F, mechanism, substantially as described, for raising and lowering said hopper, and atrough G, pivoted DANIEL 'H. HENKELS. Witnesses:

WILLIAM D. CONNER, HENRY I-IoWsoN. 

